Kaiama Killings: FG Must Declare A Full Scale War Against Insurgency, Terrorism, Banditry Now

By Taiwo Olapade

More than 72 hours after the dastardly killings of over a hundred innocent residents of Kaiama Community in Kwara State, that no arrest of a single member of the perpetrators has been made leaves much to be desired.

The pervasive silence within the circle of authority since the sad incident is also unacceptable and does not show any sign of seriousness that the nation has the capacity to frontally address the situation. I hope no one is thinking that the country should just move on and pretend as if all is well. This is usually the case with past experiences of massacre of armless and innocent Nigerians in Benue, Plateau, Borno and Taraba States, to mention a few. I dare say that enough is enough of senseless killings of our fellow countrymen wherever they live.

The federal government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu seems to have no other option now than to declare a full scale war against the so-called enemy of the state. I wrote about the need for such declaration of war during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and even one year into the current administration. Rather, President Tinubu, a few months back, declared emergency on security after much public outcry denouncing and condemning the widespread killings in the country.

No doubt, the declaration of state of emergency on security has come with some results but what we must do as a matter of urgency is to let the insurgents, terrorists and bandits know that it is no longer business as usual.

Not until they see the seriousness and courage by the government to exterminate them till the last member, we are likely to see more destruction of lives and properties.

Many Nigerians are asking a million-dollar question on what has happened to our intelligence that could not uncover this plan and prevent it from occurring since the terrorists gave notice ahead of the evil act.

The enemy within in Kwara State, according to reports from the survivors, must be fished out and dealt with thoroughly and decisively.

The narrative that the terrorists who perpetrated these killings asked the residents to denounce their religion and were shouting Allahu Akbar does not make them Muslims. Far from it. Islam is a religion of peace and so shall it be till the end of time. The perpetrators are pure criminals and should be treated as such.

The second narrative and the conspiracy theory that the massacre was to correct the impression of Christian genocides in the country has no justification. Do we now say that the victims suffered collateral damage or what?

The federal government must critically take urgent steps to address the alarming porous nature of our land borders that allowed people to move into the country unchecked and unprofiled from neighbouring countries. Records have shown that many of the Okada riders, pepper sellers on the streets and the so-called Meruwas were mistaken for Nigerians.

The Kwara State government must also wake up to the task of proper resettlement of the victims of the odious attacks and support the bereaved families in order to pick up the pieces left of their lives.

I want to suggest that other states of the federation can learn from the Lagos model of security network in which government fully supports and equips all the security operatives for 24-hour policing of the state. At least, you notice the presence of police and other security operatives a few metres away, especially in troubled spots in the metropolis. If you want to challenge my advice on the fact that most states facing insecurity are surrounded by forests, you cannot argue that such support will go a long way in curtailing the challenge.

Finally, let us see ourselves as one people facing the same challenge and prepared to stand with one another when the need arises. The mindset or belief that what is going on does not affect me directly or I am less bothered will only aggravate our collective pains and suffering. Remember that what goes round, comes round. We are all in it together.

—Taiwo Olapade, a Broadcast Journalist, writes from Lagos.